For instance, Ebates says that 55% of men say roses or jewelry are the preferred gift to give on Mother's Day. But according to Ebates, the No. 1 gift mothers prefer is a gift card to their favorite shopping outlet.

The 49% of guys making jewelry their "top gift" choice for mom are likely making a mistake; only one in five mothers "actually want to receive" jewelry, Ebates says.

What do mothers really want? Ebates had moms rank some of their No. 1 Mother's Day gifts:

Gift card: 36%Homemade gift: 24%Spa day: 24%Jewelry: 22%Roses: 21%

While most family members say they will spend the same on a Mother's Day gifts this year as last year, that figure varies by gender.

According to the Los Angeles-based consumer credit company CreditDonkey.com, 25% of sons plan on spending more this Mother's Day, while about 25% of daughters say they will spend less.

Men are more prone to give mom electronic gadgets, but only 3% of mothers say they want smartphones or digital cameras.

And while 25% of moms want a gift card this year, according to CreditDonkey, only 16% of daughters will actually come through with a gift card May 12.

Those disparities may be a good sign that family members should come up with some fresh ideas for Mother's Day gifts this year, the credit firm says.

"While most sons and daughters plan to stick to tradition and give flowers, dinner and a greeting card, our survey suggests it may be time to consider being less predictable," says Charles Tran, founder of CreditDonkey.com.